Ephemeral
by Space Whales
Summary: Alice and Gray have deemed eachother soulmates and, after an elaborate marriage supplied by the queen, had two children. Four years after their second child, they "disappear" and leave the children and Gray's little sister under the care of Julius.
1. Bells

He didn't go to the wedding, but he could hear the bells from where he sat. They rang and chimed like it was a happy occasion. After all, the foreigner was getting married! After two years of living in Wonderland, Alice was finally getting married! How joyous, how quaint, how marvelous it was! The clockmaker put his head in his hands. How heartrending, how painful, how agonizing it was.

She looked lovely, of course. The first thing she did the night before was run down in her wedding dress, letting him pretend for an ephemeral thirty seconds that she was running to him. Running to declare that she wasn't wearing it for the lizard. He forced himself to smile as she twirled around and laughed, happier than he had ever seen her. Happier than he could ever make her. When she asked how she looked, he could only tell the truth: she looked heartbreaking.

Obviously she laughed before sitting down to watch him fix clocks, dismissing the compliment like she had never asked for it. Still in that beautiful dress, she told him again that the way he fixed things was magical. That he was like a god. He managed a raised eyebrow and said gods got whatever they want. She didn't catch the hint, instead standing again to tell him goodnight, and that they should both get some sleep for the big day. He told her he wouldn't need it. She didn't catch the hint that time, either.

Julius wondered briefly if she noticed he wasn't there. He doubted it, and he didn't get the chance to ask. Later that day-he changed the time the moment the wedding was over-he learned from Nightmare that she and Gray had previously bought a small place in the land of Clover.

He immersed himself in work for ten months, when the next event arrived.

He didn't go to the hospital, but he could hear the bells from where he sat. They seemed to scream out the occasion. After all, the foreigner had had her first child! How joyous, how… Julius focused harder on his clocks. He couldn't bear to think of it as something to be celebrated. The product of her and the lizard…

Nightmare reveled in the event, or at least tormenting Julius about it. The night after the birth, the caterpillar strutted in and told him all about it. The girl's name was Chou, after the spring butterflies, and had the cutest tufts of golden fuzz on her head. Apparently, she was going to take after Alice. Julius was the godfather.

The clockmaker flooded himself with work after that. To Nightmare's joy, he even did some of the paperwork, as the clocks weren't enough to keep his mind off of Alice. Thankfully, she never visited. He returned the favor.

Four years later, the bells rang again.

He didn't attend the second baby shower, but he could hear the bells from where he sat. They clanged until Julius wanted to shoot them. Ace told him that the baby's name was Tomoe, and although he had Alice's hair, he had his father's eyes. Upon seeing the clockmaker's face, the knight chuckled forcedly and clapped him on the back, jokingly asking if he needed something to throw up in.

Julius didn't drink coffee after that. Alice still didn't drop by, and no one but Ace and Nightmare mentioned her around Julius. The second only gave a quick status check before dropping off the majority of his paperwork. The first mentioned them once, informing the clockmaker that he heard that some shady organization was after Gray. Julius brushed it off, mumbling that he didn't care.

Four years after that, he got to prove it.

He didn't attend the funeral, but he could hear the bells from where he sat. They rang in low tones, telling the world who had passed. Since four years previous, he had decided he disliked bells. That day, he decided he hated them. Ace, by now the only person who would even try to speak to the clockmaker, informed him that the organization they heard about had killed themselves, the Ringmarcs, and Alice in a last stand.

The clockmaker didn't sleep after that, but the bells echoed in his mind.

**This update was dedicated to EarthRiddle, as she got me to write it. (Hope this first chappie's okay!)**

**This makes me a little sad… As you all know, I'm a big AliceXJulius fan. *waves plushie for emphasis* but she needed to be with Gray for this to work… So… nyah. I do hope this wasn't too boring for you. I promise the next one will be more fun.**

**Please tell me if you (don't) like this. If you don't tell me, I'll be sad. And I might not update. And I'll need people like Claire and Earth to get my butt moving again.**


	2. Good Company

****

*sobs to self* due to my massive authors notes on CiW, I'mma try to make the ones on here shorter… *sticks out lower lip*

Blaze, Earth, Suzu, Pasty, Mourning, Babbit, Ink, Rose, and Fantasy: Thank you guys so much! Reviewers, you are amazing people… *starry eyes* As an expression of my love, I will stalk you all to the best of my ability.

Kora: … -_-

Chou & Tomoe: :D

About the names: I had so much trouble naming them English names, I just switched to Japanese. Why? Partially because of _Daisuki Papa!_ by our very own dear Suzu. Chou is a cute name (It means "butterfly"), and since Gray likes cute things… Tomoe as well, but I don't remember what it means. It's just a cute, soft name.

Then again, what do you think of Amie and Tori? I like them as much, and if you guys like them better, it won't be a hassle to change them. ^_^

…AGH! Why do I talk so much? TT3TT I'm sorry, guys. Do the disclaimer, Julius!

Julius: …Why should I do anything for you? You're making my life miserable.

Me: … *can't respond to that* … Eh… Kora! Do the disclaimer!

Kora: …?

Me: -_-||| Whatever. I'll do it.

No matter how many magic circles I draw, no matter how many goats I sacrifice, the only things that belong to me are Kora, Chou, and Tomoe.

__

Chapter 2: Good Company

Kora's eyebrows knit as her breath became shallow.

__

The air was soft with warm paper in Gray's office where they stood, watching as the lizard carefully filed away manila folders.

"What of the Vipers?" Alice-san asked.

"Lately, they've been coming out of their nests more than usual." Gray smiled at her and his twelve-year-old sister. "But they've never been much of a threat to us, so don't worry about it."

Kora nodded, unconvinced…

.

The air reeked of blood and gunpowder. She barely had time to gather her senses before someone grabbed her shoulder.

"LOOK OUT!" Otou pushed her and Okaa to the ground as something went off above them. "I'm too old to be doing this," her father muttered.

Kora squirmed underneath his arm, looking between him and the target.

He nodded. "Whatever it takes."

Grasping the knifes at her sides, she sprinted out from under her father's arm…

.

The fragrance of pastries surrounded her as she stepped to the building's gray door.

Three knocks and a tap.

Alice-san opened the door. Her hands, previously taking off her oven mitts almost dropped before she rushed forward. "Oh my—Kora… Is that…?"

"What's going on?" Gray appeared behind Alice. He froze when he saw his little sister. "…Whose blood is that?"

She looked away…

.

Once again, the air smelled of warm paper, but there was a hint of peppermint hot chocolate as well.

"Kora." Her aniki put his hands on her shoulders until she looked him in the eye. "The Vipers have become a danger that we might not be able to handle. Alice and I will try to lead them away from the children, but you have to stay here. If anything happens, you know where to take them. Someone with your skill should have no trouble protecting them, but be careful."

Sighing, she returned her gaze to the floor…

The wind coming through the door was sharp and smelled like ice.

"Daddy!" Chou cried, clinging to Aniki. "Don't go!"

She told him it wouldn't be this easy…

.

Chou's inquisitive, tear-stained face…

.

Tomoe's soft, oblivious smile…

.

Silence…

Kora froze.

BOOM!

Kora's eyes flew open. She tried to reach for the dagger under her pillow when she felt a weight on both her arms. Calming herself, she looked softly at her nephew and niece. Ah yes, she remembered. She was supposed to watch over Aniki's children until they found refuge with their godfather.

Refuge. You wouldn't think that they needed it with the way the two slept. Chou with her mouth slightly upturned, probably dreaming of sweet things and Tomoe, his hands clasped tightly around his mother's locket. Kora smiled. She was a little worried; when she had bad dreams, the children were usually plagued with them as well. She assumed it was because the Ringmarcs seemed linked. Each of them had similar thought patterns, similar actions, and similar likes and dislikes. Apparently, this trait had run through their veins since the beginning of time and contributed quite a bit of talent to their standard occupation. That was, assassination.

These two were a bit of an oddity in that manner. Unlike the rest of the Ringmarcs, her sister-in-law aside, they had beating… things inside of them. It seemed to give them a softer, more caring way of dealing with people. Aniki told her that they were called "hearts." On her off-days, she wondered vaguely what it would be like to have one. The beating was soothing and mellow, and the kindness it apparently gave was something to envy. Would she take that comfort for granted if she had one of her own? She pulled the two toddlers closer, using the ba-thump sound to ward away the memory of the bomb. The way it shook the house, sending glass flying and ceiling tiles across the room was all too clear. Somehow, she managed to get Chou and Tomoe to safety under a stable desk, protecting them with her body until the last bit of rubble hit the ground and her ears stopped ringing. Afterward, she searched, but Aniki and Alice were nowhere to be found. That part haunted her the most.

"Mmm…" Chou's eyebrows pulled together and she burrowed into Kora's side. The assassin frowned and quickly regulated her thoughts, picturing cream puffs and chocolate. A few worried moments passed before the little butterfly smiled again and relaxed. Tomoe, too, loosened the grip on the locket and gave a quiet giggle.

She would hate to wake them when morning, or whatever the next cycle was, came. However, they couldn't stay in this makeshift tent when there was light out. Even the dark worried her. If three Ringmarcs survived, what of the Vipers? The cult that was after them had definitely weakened in their attacks, and the bomb was probably all they had left. A single bomb tactful enough to kill Aniki, Otou, and Okaa, not to mention her cousins in the Country of Clover. If they could make such a successful explosion, they were probably smart enough to leave some of their members behind.

As if to clear away the thoughts, Kora shook her head. What would possess someone to plant something like that where there were children? Even she believed that there were lines that had to be drawn.

She stared up at the tent until it turned from black to dark green. Sunset. Quietly, Kora slipped her arms out from under the heads of the kids. Rolling her shoulders to get the blood circulating again, she ducked out from under the canvas they were using for shelter. Thankfully, she had safely found her way to the country of Heart with the children and managed to get into the forest without being noticed.

Now there was only one thing she needed to do before her mission was fulfilled.

Behind her, the canvas rustled and a tiny yawn could be heard.

"Kora?" Chou came out, rubbing her eyes and holding Tomoe's hand. "Where are we going?"

Kora pointed the direction of the sun.

"Oh…" she muttered. "Why? Will Mama and Daddy be there?"

When she received a shake of the head, her eyes got teary. Kora knelt and stroked Chou's hair until she calmed down. Even after a month of travel between the two countries, Chou still cried and asked if her parents would come when she was tired. Beneath the comforting façade, Kora was grinding her teeth. The Vipers were inhumane curs. If there were any left, she _would_ find them. And even the lucky ones wouldn't die quickly.

Picking up Tomoe and allowing Chou to grip her hand, she started off towards their destination.

The sun had risen again before they reached the tall building. Opening the door, the three slipped in and up the steps, warier than she knew was reasonable. This was an ally's home. Home of the children's godfather. Still, she didn't trust it. It scared her. After what happened to Aniki, she couldn't be too cautious.

"…and that's when I…" someone's voice drifted in behind them. Thinking fast, Kora grabbed her charges and bolted into the nearest room. Aside from a fireplace, two chairs, a coffee table, and a desk, it was empty. The three hid under the desk and Kora put a finger to her lips.

"…and that's what's going on in the outside world. The sun might burn a little at first, but once you get used to it, the outdoors are a lot more interesting than being cooped up in here." Now in the room, the voice let out a laugh.

A sigh. "Ace, I have work to do in here."

Ace. Kora remembered that name. In stories of the Country of Hearts, Aniki often told stories of a powerful knight who was stronger than anything he had ever faced. In these stories, Aniki would always warn her to keep an eye out for him, as he loved to fight and would challenge Gray on sight. Since she was now the oldest Ringmarc, she would have to be on guard.

"Loosen up, you're acting like it's the end of the world. If you just want a girl, I can- "

"Ace," the second voice interrupted, sounding like ice. "Get out. Now."

Silence.

Another sigh came, this time from Ace, followed by footsteps and the soft click of the door. "Everyone but me." was the last thing Kora heard.

Now that the knight was gone, the assassin and her charges climbed out from beneath the desk. What Kora saw confused her.

Aniki and Alice-san chose Julius as a godfather together. They agreed that he was a great man and likely to keep their children safe. However, Kora was questioning their decision and her identification. Yes, he was tall, had long hair and looked like he could have taken a punch a few years ago, but now he didn't look "great" at all. His hair was unkempt, his cheeks were sunken, and his eyes were red with black circles from lack of sleep. He looked sick. From what, Kora didn't know, but he was clearly unfit to watch her family.

Julius looked just as confused when he saw her. The look fell off, though and was replaced by a look of tired annoyance. "What do you want?" he sighed, placing both of his hands on his desk.

"Is he Julius?" Chou squeaked.

"Julius?" Tomoe repeated.

Kora nodded. Chou squealed and ran over to the clockmaker, latching onto his leg.

He picked her by the shirt collar and hoisted her off. "Who are you?"

"Silly!" Chou grinned. "I'm Chou and he's Tomoe and she's Kora. Kora said you'd take care of us until Mama got back!"

"Get out. I have no intention of-" he was cut off when Kora tapped him on the shoulder. Opening the locket she took from Tomoe, she handed him a slip of paper that was inside.

"What is…" once again, he was silenced as his eyes traveled over the paper. Kora watched them widen and narrow, disgust growing on his features before he crumpled up the paper and tossed it into the hearth. Her own eyes widened when he snapped his fingers and the paper caught on fire.

"Fine," he muttered, his voice rough but quiet. "You may stay. Rooms are on the second floor. Prepare them yourself."

"Yay!" Chou smiled again and held Kora's hand. "We get to stay here!"

****

I'm sorry. I lied about this chapter being more interesting. Hopefully, this will be the last intro chapter… -_-


	3. The Vipers

**EarthRiddle: If only I liked Julius enough to make the children schmaltzy cute. You don't have to worry at all, I promise. They'll have their moments, but Julius will hate them for a while. And I'm so sorry, but at this point in time, Julius is in his late twenties and Kora is fourteen. It wouldn't work out, but I was toying with the same idea. Grr… I wish she was older…**

**Elliotxalicexlover & Pasty: Aww, thank you! I'm glad that you were as heartbroken as I was.**

**Rose: That is an EXCELLENT question! Kora's speech problems will be introduced WAY later. But as of right now she doesn't speak. And yes, she is Gray's little sister.**

**Blondie: Thank you! I'm sorry you were confused, I put some Kora vocab at the end of the chapter.**

**Fantasy: I know, right? Btw, you should get writing.**

**Blaze: Kora seemed flat? Hmm, she is supposed to be methodical, almost mechanically so. Any ideas on how I can fix that?**

**Seraph & Candy: Yay! I hope this next one doesn't disappoint your expectations!**

**I'm SO happy I managed to finish this chapter! It was haunting me, so I couldn't take long breaks away from it, but when I pulled up the word doc, I couldn't do anything but stare blankly!**

**…And an age change has just occurred: Chou is five and Tomoe is three.**

**If you review, the space whales will bless you with happiness! (And if I get more than eight reviews, I might be happy enough to put a chappie of Lost and Found. *has resorted to bribes*)**

**Lastly, I'm sorry this AN isn't as interesting, but that's 'cuz I used up all of my interesting in this chapter. I'm fairly confident about this one, so I hope you enjoy finishing it as much as I did.**

It was her handwriting. Although it was a little changed with the years, it unmistakably hers.

_Dear Julius,_

_If Kora has given you this letter, Gray and I are no longer able to take care of our children. They are still little and they need support, so I hope that you will take care of them as well as you have taken care of me._

_Six months before the wedding, Gray's father contacted us in the country of Clover. He alerted us that the Vipers, a long-time rival of the Ringmarcs, had committed some petty crimes. Although Gray brushed it off, his father warned that the faction might grow to become a bigger threat than they were five years ago. This was unlikely, but we were told to keep our eyes open, nevertheless._

_A year after that, the crimes escalated. Kora and her cousins were sent to put a stop to the Vipers, but they returned with serious wounds. Once again Gray told me not to worry, that gang fights were common, but he seemed uneasy. I began discussing things with Kora on my own._

_Kora is somewhat of a prodigy among the Ringmarcs, but I'll leave it at that. I doubt she'll open up to you immediately, but she is an invaluable ally. I have confidence that she'll be able to answer the questions that I can't and that she will make you and the children her first priority. However, she's still a little girl, so please try to protect what's left of her heart. She's been through a lot._

_Now that I'm not there, please watch over them. My children, Gray's sister, they need you. We need you. You're the only person we can trust, Julius._

_Thank you,_

_Alice_

Julius put his head in his hands, glancing at the fireplace and the charred piece of paper.

_You're the only person we can trust, Julius._

How was he supposed to refuse that? He almost resented her. Eight years of no contact and her children appear on the doorstep looking for a place to stay, the only explanation coming from a letter. And still that letter was enough to sway him. She could always—

_Thump._

Julius sat up. The sound had come from the floor above.

_Thump. Tunk-tunk-tunk._

Nothing.

_CRASH!_

"TOMOE DID IT!" the little girl's voice shouted.

Julius stood up slowly, a feeling of mild dread coming over him. For a moment, he had forgotten exactly who was in his house. Three children had just invaded his tower; of course they had to wreak havoc before they were happy. Now that something had indeed happened, two questions that needed answering presented themselves: First, did he _want _to go up the stairs? No. Not in the least. If he had to see what happened, he would have to deal with it. Second, was he _going _to go upstairs? His hand hesitated on the doorknob before giving a reluctant turn. The only other adult in the building was Nightmare, a difficult person who couldn't even hold a dustpan without complaining.

People were troublesome, no matter what their age was. Women were more troublesome than men, and children were more troublesome than women.

His belief was only confirmed when he found the children. The younger female was sobbing as the other, still young female looked at her disapprovingly. The youngest was sobbing for no apparent reason, possibly scared by the crash.

"I-I didn't do it," Chou hiccupped and wiped her nose on her arm.

Kora raised an eyebrow and Tomoe wailed. Julius stood with mixed emotions, among them confusion, fury, and a gripping migraine. Although the last didn't necessarily count, it still fought the children for his attention.

"We don't blame you," he finally growled at Chou.

Kora shot him a glare. _Yes we do, _it said.

"R-really?" the younger child peered through swollen eyes, sniffling helplessly.

Julius sighed. "No, we can just get another."

This response was rewarded with an instant recovery from Chou and another withering look from Kora. Julius's head throbbed as he ushered them out of the tower.

Even before Alice left, going to the market for spare parts was a weekly routine. He knew his way and the faceless took care not to bother him, but he still disliked leaving the tower. It became a constant reminder that time didn't wait. In fact, in the case of a loss, it seemed to hum around everyone but the victim as if to flaunt that it could move on. Here, the birds still sang, the sun still shined, and the people went on with their lives. People breathed. New life was created every day. And the new life forgot about Alice.

For Julius, however, time didn't move, it stopped to mock him.

"Hey, Julius!" Chou interrupted his thoughts again, running up to walk beside him. "Kora says you're unstable." She reached for his hand but he pulled it out of her reach. Although looking hurt, she continued. "What's unstable?"

"Why don't you go ask Kora?" he started to walk faster.

Chou ran again and successfully managed to grab his hand. "Kora doesn't like to talk much."

"I don't either."

"Really?"

He took a very deep breath. "Yes, really."

The little girl contemplated what he said quietly. "Okay," she nodded. "I can do all the talking."

Julius was then subject to a very long and detailed list of why Kora said it was bad to walk with your shoes off or eat objects that had been on the ground, quickly followed by a long explanation concerning the best way to crack a walnut. By the time they reached the nearest town, the clockmaker had a splitting headache and was far too ready to send the children back to Clover, _"only one we can trust" _or not.

"Oh. Look, Julius! We're at the town already! Kora says— "

"Why don't you three go to a café and order something to eat while I get a new lamp?" Julius cut in. He had more conversation today than the collective small talk he had had in more than five years and it was taking it's toll. He'd never been good with children to start with and this little girl wasn't making it any easier.

Thankfully, at the mention of food, the child's eyes widened and she held his hand tighter. "Really? Anything we want?"

"Within reason."

"Even candy?"

A niggling something in the back of his head sang warnings, but Julius gave a small nod.

"Yay! Kora! Did you hear that? Julius said that we should go to a café and order! Anything that we want!" Clearly excited about the prospects of such an adventure, Chou abandoned his side to drag a disapproving Kora and an amiable Tomoe to the nearest frilly, bright-colored, candy-filled shop.

Once they disappeared behind the pastel pink door, the space around the clockmaker fell into the silence he was accustomed to. For a moment it seemed oppressive, but quickly adjusted to a comfortable, familiar quiet. After all, it was what he preferred. An hour or two of chittering brats wouldn't change his preferences.

_Couldn't,_ he corrected himself and walked into Clock Territory's largest light shop. They _couldn't _change his preferences.

True to its specialty, the light shop was shining with kerosene lamps, shiny chandeliers, and a glass ceiling that the architect confidently called a skylight. Only a faceless could be so brash as to install something so radically stupid. The glass was sure to collapse the moment someone breathed on it wrong.

"Be careful," a voice smirked beside him, also observing the skylight. "If you jump, you would ruin this shop, and glass is so very expensive."

Julius wasn't as amused, now that someone else felt the burning desire to start a conversation. Perhaps if he ignored the stranger, he could be taken as deaf.

"You're the clockmaker, correct?"

Of course he wouldn't be so lucky.

"I've heard that you have recently been housing three children," the man continued.

He "heard" that in the space of a few hours? Even Julius's charges would be able to realize that something was wrong. Whoever this was, he was very likely an enemy with an extremely impressive information network. The clockmaker wasn't too surprised, though; there were a lot of people who hated him as much as he did them, and Alice's children were bound to come with more than a few strings attached.

"Who are you?" Julius didn't face him.

"A businessman." the voice smirked enigmatically. "One who would like to conduct a trade with you."

"Spare me," he sighed. "You have nothing I want."

"Quite the contrary," the man's volume and humor dropped with the next sentence, as if he was sharing something he shouldn't. "I have the _only _thing you want."

That made the clockmaker turn slightly. Now he could see the man, a comfortably lean person with auburn hair and thin oval glasses that he looked over with a sardonically sordid expression. He was dressed formally in a gray pinstripe suit and toted a briefcase of the same color. Upon closer inspection, the clockmaker noticed that the case had locks instead of clasps and the man's jacket had irregularly-shaped wrinkles, the kind that hid guns.

When the man saw that he had Julius's attention, his mouth curled into a long, thin-lipped smile. "We have Alice."

The clockmaker stopped breathing. They had her? She was alive? But if she was alive, why were her children sent to him when he was a whole country away? Why didn't her children know? Why did Kora look so abandoned when she crawled out from underneath his desk? If she was alive, was there a chance of—

He stopped himself. She's dead, he remembered. He could still hear the funeral bells. "She died in an explosion."

The man smiled wider, stretching pale lips against uniform teeth. "They couldn't find the body."

She is dead.

"In fact, they couldn't find anything."

Irrevocably dead.

"Not even pieces of flesh to pick off of the— "

"Stop," Julius interrupted. "Where's your proof?"

"Ah," the man's eyes gleamed, "I was waiting for you to ask that." With little flourish, the man's long hand slithered into his jacket to extract a small, familiar item.

"No," Julius breathed, softly taking the item.

In his fingers sat a vial adorned with a heart-shaped stopper. Although a crack spidered down one face of the prism, the thick glass still contained a sizable amount of a purple liquid. It was the Medicine of the Heart, and it was Alice's most precious possession. Once she decided to stay in Wonderland, she took it religiously to stay in the Game, as it refilled whenever she had contact with anyone in Wonderland. At the moment, it was half full. Fingering the vial, Julius wondered how long it had been since she had last taken it, and worse, what the side effects would be if she didn't take it soon.

He looked up. "What do you want?"

"The children."

It took some time for the man's immediate response to process. When it did, Julius still didn't believe it. "The children?" he repeated.

"Yes, the three in your care." By this time, the smile had almost fallen from the man's face. He was dead serious.

"How do three children make up for the life of an outsider?"

The man's face set. Apparently, he thought the battle would be won by now. Impatience flickered across his features, but he smiled again and answered, "The company I come from demands that we have our rivals, the Ringmarcs. Miss Liddel is simply a Ringmarc by law, the children are related by blood."

Julius didn't bother to hide his skepticism.

"We're reasonable people, Mr. Monrey. We assumed you'd be too."

"And what about this deal makes me a reasonable person?"

"We'll take care of the children for you, and you get Miss Liddel."

Julius examined the vial silently.

"Mr. Monrey, you've just found out that Miss Liddel is alive and well. Could you really bear to lose her again?"

_No,_ he realized, hand falling to his side, _I couldn't._

"How much…" he forced himself, "how much time do I have?"

The man's eyes narrowed, and checked his watch impatiently. "You're wasting my time." When Julius didn't respond, the man sighed and continued. "Very well, I have obligations elsewhere. I'll be gone for exactly two weeks, and I'll expect your answer upon my return. Do not disappoint us a second time, Mr. Monrey."

Julius nodded, utterly defeated.

The man's lips peeled back again and a thin hand was presented in the space between the two men, waiting for a handshake. "Thank you for doing business with us, Mr. Monrey,"

"And you, Mr…" Julius didn't take his hand.

"Senka," the man reached forward and took his hand. "Kingsley Senka."

When they shook, Julius was keenly aware of a black snake tattooed around the man's wrist.

**Kora's Vocabulary:**

**Aniki: Feminine way of addressing an older brother**

**Otou-san: Father**

**Okaa-san: Mother**

**-san: Respectful title, used to adress those older than you, strangers and important people. Kora uses it because she speaks very formally, but as far as I know, it isn't often used to refer to family members.**

**-sama: Very respectful title, used to refer to very important people. I.e., royalty, masters, and other very high-ups.**


End file.
